The Canterbury

Talesby Geoffrey Chaucer

Geoffrey Chaucer

• 1343? – 1400• Middle-class family• Royal page, soldier,

diplomat, royal clerk• Varied experiences in

the medieval world• 1366: Married lady-in-

waiting to the queen

The Canterbury Pilgrimage• Pilgrim – a person

who journeys a long distance to a sacred place as an act of religious devotion

• Pilgrims traveled to Canterbury Cathedral to pray at the murder site of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

St. Thomas Becket• Born Dec 21,1118• 1162 – Became

Archbishop of Canterbury

• Killed Dec 29, 1170 by four knights loyal to King Henry II

• 1173 – Pope Alexander canonized Becket

St. Thomas Becket• Martyr:

Representation of the fight between the Church and the King

• Canterbury became the most important pilgrimage site in England

Middle English• The Canterbury Tales is written in Middle

English.• Middle English: 1066-mid 15th century• Considered the vernacular, or everyday,

language of the people

Whan that Aprill with his shoures sooteThe droghte of March hath perced to the roote,And bathed every veyne in swich licourOf which vertu engendred is the flour;

Languages in Chaucer’s Time

Five languages spoken in England during Chaucer’s time.

1. Latin: language of the Church2. Welsh: language of Wales (west England)3. Cornish: language of southwest England

(Cornwall)4. Norman French: language of government5. Middle English: language of everyday

Norman Influences

• 1066 – William the Conqueror invades England

• Norman refers to people who lived in Normandy (France)

Norman Influences

• Norman-French was the “official” language of government (the King and others), many modern government terms were derived from the Normans.

court parliamentjudge appealjury

Old English v. Norman-French

• The invasion of the Normans expanded the English vocabulary by thousands.

The following three words all mean “of or related to a king”

Old English: kinglyNorman-French: royalLatin: regal

The Canterbury Tales

• 26 “tales”• Chaucer’s manuscript is

incomplete• Illustrates the traits and

faults of human nature• Popularized the use of

English in literatureThe Pardoner

The Seven Deadly Sins1. Pride (vanity, narcissism, conceit, arrogance)2. Envy3. Wrath (anger)4. Sloth (laziness)5. Greed (avarice – a sin of excess)6. Gluttony (overindulgence, for example of food

and drink)7. Lust (depraved thought, need to be accepted by

others, unwholesome morality)

The Seven Virtues1. Chastity2. Moderation (self-restraint)3. Generosity4. Labor5. Meekness (composure)6. Charity7. Modesty (humbleness; humility)

The Canterbury Tales: The Prologue

• Narrator and 29 other pilgrims meet at the Tabard Inn outside London

• The pilgrims come from all classes of society

• Tavern owner, Harry Bailey, challenges the pilgrims to tell two stories each on the way to Canterbury and two stories on their journey back.